Aug. 15, 2001

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WELCOME TO NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY 2001
Welcome to Notre Dame Football Media Day 2001 at Notre Dame Stadium. Festivities begin at 11:00 a.m. with lunch followed by Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie at 12:00 p.m. Once Davie is finished, all media will move down to the field where interviews with the players will begin at roughly 1:00 p.m. We ask that you try and conclude all player interviews by 2:00 p.m., as an appreciation day and an autograph session will be going on at the same time.

FAN APPRECIATION DAY
Fan Appreciation Day is scheduled from 1:30-3:00 p.m. at Notre Dame Stadium. Most players will be available to sign autographs during this time.

THE HEAD COACH
Fifth-year Irish head coach Bob Davie owns a 30-19 (.612) career record at Notre Dame. The University announced on Dec. 5, 2000, that Davie signed a five-year contract to continue coaching the Irish through the 2005 season. Davie was one of three finalists for the Football News 2000 coach-of-the-year awar dand was one of 10 finalists for the 1998 Walter Camp Foundation/ Street and Smith’s Coach of the Year Award. Davie coached the Irish to a second season-opening ranked win in 2000 against No. 23 Texas A&M, and the win over 13th-ranked Purdue marked the earliest the Irish had beaten two ranked opponents since 1990. The ’98 opening win over No. 5 and defending national champion Michigan, his ’97 squad’s victories over No. 11 LSU and No. 22 West Virginia to mark the first time a Notre Dame team beat ranked foes on consecutive weeks since November ’92. The 2001 season marks Davie’s eighth year at Notre Dame overall, after serving as defensive coordinator and inside linebacker coach from 1994-96. He coached nine seasons at Texas A&M (’85-’93), two at Tulane (’83-’84), four at Pittsburgh(’77, ’80-’82) and two at Arizona (’78-’79), spending both years at Tulane as defensive coordinator and the last five at Texas A&M in that role.

THE INJURY UPDATE (as of Aug. 15)
None

THE 2001 CAPTAINS OLB Rocky Boiman, FL David Givens, DE Grant Irons and DE Anthony Weaver will serve as captains for the 2001 season. All are first-time captains, except Irons who becomes only the 13th two-time captain in Notre Dame history and the first since Ron Powlus did it for the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

FRESHMAN WALKONS
Notre Dame’s freshman practices included 19 scholarship players and three walkons: QB Pat Dillingham(6-1, 190, Portola Valley, Calif./St. Francis) will wear No. 9 with CB Jason Beckstrom. K/P D.J.Fitzpatrick (6-1, 195, Granger, Ind./Marion) will share No. 19 with FS Glenn Earl, while OG/Long Snapper Casey Dunn (6-5, 255, Miami, FL/Gulliver Prep) will wear No. 64 with fellow walk-on Jeffrey Campbell.

NUMBER CHANGES
The Irish made one number change from the media guide rosters as freshman TE Matt Root has gone from No. 89 to No. 83.

GETTING A LATE START
The Nebraska game, scheduled for Sept. 8, is the latest season opener for the Irish since playing Michigan on Sept. 15, to begin the 1990 season.